Dr Yunus instigated WB to cancel Padma funding: Tofail

Staff Correspondent
23rd February, 2017 01:41:34

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed on Wednesday said Dr Muhammad Yunus instigated the World Bank (WB) to withdraw the fund for Padma Bridge.

“With the help of Hillary Clinton, Dr Yunus had conspired against the Padma Bridge project,” the commerce minister alleged.

Tofail made the remarks while addressing an award-giving ceremony for journalists organised by Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) at CIRDAP auditorium in the capital.

Tofail Ahmed also said the country’s real estate sector has been facing a slowdown after a booming start.

“The government is sincere in facilitating the efforts for making housing affordable for the general public. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had declared a project titled ‘one family, one house by 2021'.

The finance ministry has already assigned a consultant to meet the objectives of the project,” he said.

Tofail also said that the country’s GDP would have been 8 percent had there not been any conspiracy against the construction of Padma Bridge.

Referring to another issue, the commerce minister said, “We have already taken initiatives to declare March 25 as the mass killing day. Our foreign ministry will also approach different international organisations with relevant information and proofs so that March 25 could be declared as the International Mass Killing Day.”

While addressing the function, REHAB Senior Vice-President Nurunnabi Chowdhury Shaon stressed for building a more customer- friendly real estate sector to help people meet the basic need for housing.

He also urged the government to lower the flat registration fee to 7 percent from existing 15 percent and resume the Bangladesh Bank-backed low-interest house loan, which was halted in 2010.

“The country is advancing fast to become a middle-income country by 2021. So it’s time to build satellite cities,” Shaon said.

During the event, REHAB honoured 10 journalists from both electronic and print media with the Journalist of the Year Award-2015.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed handed over the crests and the checks to the winners as the chief guest.

REHAB President Alamgir Shamsul Alamin presided over the event, which was also addressed, among others, by REHAB vice-president VP Liakat Ali Bhuiyan.